Blessings Come in Strange Packages
I was recently sifting through several small storage boxes of paper notes and photos which brought back a multitude of memories. On a piece of paper I had saved was printed a short story that affected me then and still impresses me now and hopefully will strike a chord with you, too.
One of the things the Lord has taught me is that He works in strange and mysterious ways. His ways are at times difficult to understand, but I’ve learned, His ways and thoughts are higher than our own. So, I have summarized a part of what was printed on the piece of paper that prompted this post:
A young man was preparing to graduate. For months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom. He told his father about it knowing that it was something he could well afford to buy. Graduation day arrived, his father called him into the study and told him how much he loved him and how proud he was of him. Then, he handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. The young man opened the box to find a leather-bound Bible with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said “with all your money you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house.
Years passed and the young man was successful in business. However, his thoughts turned to his father who was very old and he thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen his father since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away. He needed to go home immediately to take care of things.
When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turns its pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11:
“And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?”
As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the same dealer’s name who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words “PAID IN FULL.”
How many times do we miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve reacted to things in the worst ways, only to find out, that I, too, had missed a blessing or messed one up. Ingratitude has kept me from enjoying God’s blessings. My journey on this earth has taught me humbleness and gratitude come with far greater grace than a bad attitude. Life doesn’t always happen in the way we think it should. And many times, God presents us with situations that do meet up to our standards or ideas. But there is a blessing to be found in each circumstance and we need to learn how to be humble, thankful, and ask God to help us see the hidden gem in those times.
I am reminded of the verse in Philippians that is written:
I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – Whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. Phil 4:12
We did not have any grandchildren a few short years ago and I was beginning to believe it was not in God’s plan. All the while, I never prayed to God for them. And, in two short years we went from zero to three biological grandchildren. The way they arrived into our lives was far from perfect and not in the way I had dreamed. But, they have been a beautiful and loving blessing. I don’t ponder on the why and the how, that’s God’s domain. I thank him daily for the blessings they have been to us. Would I want to reverse how they arrived? No, because then they would not be who they are and I love who they are.
So, I encourage you keep an open heart about the things you hoped for, dreamed about, or asked for that come to you far differently than you imagined and, look for God’s blessing that is embedded in what you get, not in how you get it.”
I hope the short story I shared resonates with you as it did me. If so, share your thoughts, I would love to read them. And, if you believe it would be helpful to someone you know, pass the link on.
Jesus, God, and Me 